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“If the broad light of day could be let in upon men’s actions, it would purify them as the sun disinfects.” – Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis hat characterizes American government today is not so much dysfunctional politics as it is ruthlessly contrived governance carried out behind the entertaining, distracting, and disingenuous curtain of political theatre. And what political theatre it is, diabolically Shakespearean at times, full of sound and fury yet in the end signifying nothing. Played out on the national stage and eagerly broadcast to a captive audience by media sponsors, this farcical exercise in political theatre can, at times, seem riveting, life-changing, and suspenseful, even for those who know better. Week after week, the script changes – the presidential election, the budget crisis, the fiscal cliff, the Benghazi hearings, the gun-control debate – with each new script following on the heels of the last, never any letup, never any relief from the constant melodrama. The players come and go, the protagonists and antagonists trade places, and the audience members are forgiving to a fault, quick to forget past mistakes and move on to the next spectacle.

The Magician’s Con: Renewing FISA and the NDAA Under Cover of the Fiscal Cliff Debates
All the while, a different kind of drama is unfolding in the dark backstage, hidden from view by the heavy curtain, elaborate stage sets, colored lights, and parading actors. Such that it is, the realm of political theatre – with all of its drama, vitriol, and scripted theatrics – is what passes for “transparent” government today, with elected officials, entrusted to act in the best interests of their constituents, routinely performing for their audiences and playing up to the cameras while doing very little to move the country forward. All the while, behind the footlights, those who really run the show are putting into place policies that erode our freedoms and undermine our attempts at contributing to the workings of our government, leaving us none the wiser and bereft of any opportunity to voice our discontent or engage in any kind of discourse until it’s too late. It’s the oldest con game in the books, the magician’s sleight of hand that keeps you focused on the shell game in front of you while your wallet is being picked clean by ruffians in your midst. President Barack Obama, no different from his predecessors, is particularly well versed in how to use the theatre of politics to his advantage. Consider that amidst the cacophony of the fiscal-cliff debates, the president signed into law two pieces of legislation, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Amendments Act and the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 (NDAA), both of which further erode our most basic constitutionally protected rights by reauthorizing sweeping police powers to be used by the federal government. FISA allows the federal government to spy on Americans who communicate with people overseas, whether they are journalists, family members, or business associates, while the NDAA reauthorizes the military’s ability to indefinitely detain American citizens, a provision that first reared its head in the 2012 NDAA. While the invasive powers bestowed upon the federal government by FISA and the NDAA should be cause for alarm, they have become part of the unchallenged post-9/11 paradigm that disguises itself as representative government today. This matter-of-fact, all-in-a-day’s-work erosion of our freedoms is no less appalling than the routine, relatively uncontested renewal of legislation, passed without debate or question year after year, that flies in the face of every fundamental principle of individual liberty on which this nation was founded. Such is the

by John W. Whitehead johnw@rutherford.org

political playbook being used to chart the nation’s course these days. Obama’s decision to sign the NDAA, quietly and without much fanfare, while the fiscal-cliff debate took front-stage is a perfect example of political theatre at its finest. The NDAA establishes a colossal $633-billion budget for the military at a time when the nation is drowning in debt, the deficit is skyrocketing, our military empire is overextended, and America is allegedly ratcheting down its presence in the Middle East. Despite a late-November threat to veto the NDAA 2013, Obama signed it into law while on vacation with his family in Hawaii. Similarly, the year before, despite his claimed personal objection to the indefinite detention of American citizens and his insistence that his administration had “worked tirelessly” to amend offending provisions and would “oppose any attempt to extend or expand them in the future,” Obama signed the NDAA 2012 into law on December 31, 2011. Sadly, this year’s passage didn’t even merit that much protestation or concern over its indefinite-detention provision from the commander-in-chief or his cohorts in Congress. Obama may have sailed into the White House

ill Daley called the other day. We estimated that it had been about three or four years since we had last spoken to each other, which is par for the course. Going back to at least 2001, Daley – the brother and son of former Chicago mayors – has mulled a bid for governor. The last time was in 2009, when he publicly considered challenging Pat Quinn in the Democratic primary. And now he’s talking about it again. Before I returned Daley’s call, I wanted to check around and see what might be different this time. I was told that there are two major differences between now and before. First of all, Rich Daley is no longer mayor. Hizzoner simply didn’t want his brother running statewide. A gubernatorial bid could shine too much of a spotlight on the mayor, and there was real fear that a statewide run could upset the mayor’s delicately balanced coalition – meaning African-American voters. Bill Daley is now free to do whatever he wants. The other consideration also has to do with family. Daley had gone through a divorce in 2001. Now, though, he has a supportive, solid spouse who will back him all the way. Daley confirmed both of those points when we finally connected. But he hasn’t been raising money, he hasn’t been traveling the state, and he flatly denied a newspaper report that he had commissioned a poll. Instead, he’s been reaching out to old friends, including former President Bill Clinton, who encouraged a run. At 64, this could be his last opportunity to run a strenuous statewide campaign, and Daley said if he does run, it’ll only be for a term or maybe two, just to straighten things out and move along. My big question was what he could bring to the table that Dan Hynes couldn’t in 2010, when he narrowly lost to Quinn in the Democratic primary. Like Hynes, Daley is a white, Irish, South Side Chicagoan. What votes does he get that Hynes could not? While he wouldn’t come right out and say it (most of the conversation was off the record), I think he believes that Hynes made some late

If things don’t turn around soon, Quinn is not going to get the same benefit of the doubt that he did in 2010.

mistakes and that enough voters are ready to move beyond Quinn that he has a legit shot. The power of a sitting governor should never be underestimated in a primary. Even in the “new era” of reform, governors have jobs, contracts, and other favors they can hand out to key constituencies. Quinn doled out milliondollar grants like they were candy in 2010. Besides that, Quinn himself is one of the best closers I’ve ever seen. After leading for months, Quinn began slipping against Hynes, and by the last weekend even some of the governor’s top aides were thinking about finding new jobs after primary day. He did it again in the fall, when most people had written him off against Bill Brady. Anyway, back to Daley. Will he do it? Well, he sounds more like a candidate than he ever has, but until he starts raising money and doing a bit of traveling, we shouldn’t take him all that seriously. Can he beat Quinn? In 2010, enough people were still willing to give the relatively new “accidental governor” a chance that he could win by small margins in both the primary and the general. This time around, Quinn will have had almost six years under his belt, and if things don’t turn around soon, he’s not going to get the same benefit of the doubt. Another Daley consideration has to be whether Attorney General Lisa Madigan decides to run. After years of dismissing the prospect, Madigan seemed almost eager to take on the challenge on election night last November when we spoke. She flatly denied any interest in a state Supreme Court bid, saying such a job would be too boring. She seemed steamed at Chicago reporters, who’d asked her whether she could be a governor and raise her young children. And she pointed to her huge campaign war chest, which currently contains $3.6 million. The Daley people say they aren’t factoring Madigan into the equation just yet. If she runs, she runs. But right now they aren’t worrying too much about it. We’ll see. Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax (a daily political newsletter) and CapitolFax.com.

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Rock Island County Asks Voters for a Blank Check. You’d Never Know It from the Referendum.
April 9, 2013.
He explained that this might be possible through the combination of refinancing Public Building Commission bonds and the increased efficiency of new buildings compared to century-old facilities – which he said cost the county and its taxpayers roughly $1.5 million a year in maintenance. That would make the project propertytax-neutral, but of course it would also extend bond payments well beyond the current expiration of 2019. In theory, annual property-tax bills might not be any higher than they are now because of a new courthouse and (potentially) county office building; taxpayers would merely be making payments for a few decades more. There’s one problem with this argument: Because the project scope, site, and cost haven’t yet been decided, property-tax neutrality is merely a noble goal – or, less charitably, a selling point that should be treated with skepticism. The only guarantee here is that by going through the Public Building Commission, citizens would be minimizing a propertytax spike that would result from bonding through the county board while paying off existing Public Building Commission bonds for the jail.

f a government body wants to spend tens of millions of dollars for a construction project, there are lots of ways to gauge the public temperature. It’s hard to imagine a more roundabout approach than the one chosen by the Rock Island County Board. Last week, the board voted to put a referendum on the April 9 ballot, and if your eyes glaze over while reading it, that might be the goal. The measure asks: “Shall the County Board of The County of Rock Island be authorized to expand the purpose of The Rock Island Public Building Commission, Rock Island County, Illinois to include all the powers and authority prescribed by the Public Building Commission Act?” Of course, most people don’t know what the Rock Island Public Building Commission is, or that it even existed – let alone its current or potentially expanded authority. And there’s no way to know from the words what the endgame is. There’s no mention of a new or renovated county courthouse or county office building, or of a location, or of a price tag – which could be anywhere from $13 million (the low estimate for a new court facility alone) to $50 million (the high estimate for a new courthouse and county office building in downtown Rock Island). In short, the referendum appears designed for maximum obfuscation – a seemingly innocuous question about an obscure public body. The move could easily be interpreted as a deceptive attempt to gain public support for something the public otherwise might not support. In fairness, the ultimate goal hasn’t been hidden from view, and nearly everybody agrees that both the courthouse and the county office building need to be replaced or upgraded. (Reports through the years can be found with this article at RCReader.com/y/referendum.) But given the taxpayer money at stake, what’s behind the strangely circuitous approach of Rock Island County government? The primary reason is that judiciary has taken the lead and is forcing the issue because the county board has dragged its feet for two decades. Two other reasons are key: Expanding the authority of the Public Building Commission could keep property taxes level – or at least minimize the amount of a property-tax increase – while resulting

Rock Island County
Courthouse, Offic Building, e Whatever ...

The Taxpayers
construction project would result in a property-tax increase equal to bond payments minus any operational efficiencies gained by new or renovated facilities. So if the county issued bonds to pay for a new courthouse and office building, the taxes to pay debt service would be on top of the taxes used to pay debt service on the current Public Building Commission bonds. Expanding the authority of the Public Building Commission gets around this political problem. Because the referendum to create it was limited to the jail, the Public Building Commission is not presently authorized to bond for or build any other facility. But if the referendum is approved, then the Public Building Commission could refinance its current bonds – similar to refinancing a mortgage after years of paying down the principal – to generate money for new construction beyond the Justice Center. As the judges of the 14th Circuit Court Facilities Committee wrote in a November report: “One million dollars of the current levy supports about $14 million of debt at today’s bond rates. ... By refinancing the bonds, there would be at least $8,375,000 ... available to apply to construction costs without increasing the current tax levy.” So by going through the Public Building Commission, more than $8 million of project costs for a new courthouse could be rolled into the current debt-service levy. This would reduce the amount of a property-tax increase needed to pay for any new buildings. “The ideal situation is to roll from one right into another; so we pay off the old building and we roll right into a new facility,” explained Rock Island County Board Chair Phil Banaszek. The goal would be to configure a project and bond terms “so there would be no [annual] increased cost” to taxpayers.

in new (or, in an unlikely scenario, rehabilitated) county facilities; and, if the referendum passes, county-board members can claim that approving tens of millions of taxpayer dollars was sanctioned by voters. There are still other reasons below the surface. The vagueness of the referendum makes it passage more likely than a traditional bond referendum (in which the projects and costs would be clear to taxpayers). And the authority that would be granted by this referendum gives the county significant flexibility moving forward – both with the two buildings being discussed now and any major capital projects it wants to pursue in the future.

The Illinois Public Building Commission Act was passed in 1955 to address “inadequate and outmoded public improvements, buildings, and facilities for the furnishing of essential governmental services.” Public building commissions are established by local referendum and have the authority to bond but not tax; governmental bodies with taxing authority lease facilities from a public building commission to pay off bonds. A key feature of a public building commission is that, unlike a county, it does not need voter approval through a referendum to issue bonds. The Rock Island Public Building Commission was established to build only a new county jail (known as the Rock Island County Justice Center), which was completed in 2001. The commission is presently composed of Ted E. Davies, Jim Gremanis, Richard Janoski, William P. Laird, and LeRoy Peterson. Until the Rock Island County Justice Center bonds – which cost citizens $1 million a year in property taxes – are retired in December 2019, any major

The Practical Case

The second major appeal of expanding Public Building Commission authority is that it provides cover for the county board, which for decades has kicked this particular problem down the road. The November report by the 14th Circuit Court Facilities Committee summarized that the courthouse – at 210 15th Street – has been inadequate for decades: “A 1992 report by a Committee of the Illinois Judges Association recommended that the Rock Island County Courthouse be closed as a court facility. Years of subsequent informal talks with the County Board failed to produce a commitment or plan by the County Board to bring court facilities into compliance with applicable Minimum Courtroom Standards. Deference is usually given to the legislative and executive branches of government to act on such matters, but the County Board has failed to address the court facility need for 20 years. ... [U] nless forced to act, the County Board will continue to defer action on what it perceives as a politically controversial and

Quad Cities Dining Survey
To make the Quad Cities’ Dining Guide even more useful, we plan to include the results of this reader survey in our next edition – and make it an annual feature. There are more than 40 categories in the survey, but you only need to provide reasonable answers to 15 categories for your vote to be counted. You can take the survey at RCReader.com/y/survey. You may also mail your responses to 532 W. 3rd St., Davenport IA 52801. Vote for your favorite restaurants through March 1, 2013. Results will be published by the River Cities’ Reader in the Spring/Summer 2013 Quad Cities’ Dining Guide in April.
Restaurant New restaurant (opened in 2012) National chain restaurant Fine-dining restaurant Best-kept secret Mexican restaurant Italian restaurant Pizza Chinese restaurant Thai restaurant Japanese restaurant Indian restaurant Mediterranean restaurant Steaks/steakhouse Restaurant for vegetarian diners Seafood Romantic atmosphere Restaurant wine selection Restaurant beer selection Locally brewed beer available year-round (include name and brewery) Locally brewed beer available for a limited time (include name and brewery) Dining bargain Dining bargain that will also impress a date Distinctly Quad Cities fast food Coffeeshop Smoothies Greasy spoon Kid-friendly restaurant Restaurant to please both young kids and their parents Pub food Late-night eats Bakery/breads/bagels Desserts Ice cream/sweets Barbecue Breakfast Burgers Deli Sandwiches Gyros/Greek Sunday brunch Wings Sushi Buffet Chips and salsa Soup Business lunch Catering Mobile food vendor

fter seeing January 11’s Schreckengost was intentionally performance of Hank singing off-pitch, which was Williams: Lost Highright for the character and not way at the Circa ’21 Dinner necessarily easy for a good Playhouse, I am reassessing singer to do. Audrey’s bad notes my typical disdain for jukebox come across as natural rather musicals, particularly those that than forced, and add to the are biographies of particular artbelievability of Schreckengost’s ists wrapped inside collections Audrey. Yet it’s Williams, of course, of their greatest hits. Playwrights who’s the centerpiece of the Randal Myler and Mark Harelik, show, and Jonathan Scott Roth’s here, managed to create a work fluid, rich, rather dreamy vocals that – in addition to being in the role are quite easy on the cohesive and easy to follow – ears. Meanwhile, his best acting nicely weaves Williams’ hits in the part comes during a into the story and is incredibly (Clockwise from top left) Canaan Cox, Jody Allan Lee, A.J. Haut, interesting to boot. And thanks Rachelle Walljasper, Jonathon Scott Roth, and Nina Schreckengost highly emotional scene in which Williams unveils the lyrics to to a pleasingly lengthy, Heehis new song “I’m So Lonesome Haw-esque scene in the middle I Could Cry.” After accusing a of the second act, Myler and bandmate of sleeping with his Harelik also avoid the seemingly wife and threatening him with too-frequent theatrical trend of a gun, Williams begs him to shows with second acts that are stay rather than storm off, and much too serious and downbeat. convinces the man to forgive him John R. Briggs’ casual though by handing over a piece of paper not unpolished direction of this with the song’s lyrics written on biographical play makes Circa it. Filled with pain and loneliness, ’21’s production an easy watch those lyrics express Williams’ that also delivers the passion, personal feelings and experience, energy, and emotion of Williams’ and in that moment, Williams’ music and life. Lost Highway emotions are completely palpable opens with the ever-endearing in Roth’s performance. Rachelle Walljasper, in her Nina Schreckengost and Jonathan Scott Roth It’s worth noting that the role as Mama Lilly, telling us a greatly by the show’s live musicians – whole opening-night audience bit about the country singer’s the cast members each play their own seemed to have a great time watching childhood, after which we’re introduced instruments here – I enjoyed every last Hank Williams: Lost Highway, given to the greatest musical influence on one in Lost Highway, particularly the their enthusiastic applause and their Williams’ life: Tee-Tot, a black man who ones I was already familiar with, such rush to get to their feet at the musical’s helps infuse the blues into Williams’ as “Hey, Good Lookin’” and “I’m So end. The encore number performed style. (The role is played, with a raspy Lonesome I Could Cry.” Each group by the cast was received with equal tinge to his voice, by Tony D. Owens number is impressively performed both exhilaration, and, in my opinion, should Jr., who appears repeatedly throughout instrumentally and vocally by Briggs’ have been; Circa ’21’s production is a the piece but is not a physically present cast, with Canaan Cox standing out for fun, dramatic, thoroughly engaging character; he seems more like a ghost his awesome fiddle playing as Williams’ piece of country-music history. of influence ever-present in Williams’ bandmate Leon. songs.) And from there, the musical Interestingly, however, it’s Nina Hank Williams: Lost Highway runs at guides us through Williams’ early years Schreckengost’s poor vocal pitch that’s the Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 as a musician, his marriage, his musical most notable about her performance Third Avenue, Rock Island) through successes, and eventually his selfas Williams’ wife Audrey, because March 9, and more information and perpetuated, drunken demise. remembering the actor’s remarkable reservations are available by calling Williams’ musical genre is not one belt voice in Circa ’21s Smokey Joe’s (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visiting to which I gravitate. However, with Café last year, it was apparent to me that Circa21.com. the presentation of his songs aided

Selections from Augustana Sights & Sounds
n these pages you’ll find selections from the photography and video exhibit Augustana Sights & Sounds, which will run from January 25 through February 22 at the Bucktown Center for the Arts (225 East Second Street in Davenport). An opening reception will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, January 25, and will feature music by Augustana students along with the visual work. Photographers featured in the show include students from Augustana College and local high schools.

hat starts as a at the core of Dietz’s theatre audimind game. In his first tion quickly scene as a director becomes something holding auditions for a entirely different in the play, Taylor portrays a QC Theatre Workshop’s forceful, self-important second production, man, exuding almost Private Eyes. And this spastic fits of energy change from what’s real that manifest themselves Jessica Sheridan, Mike Schulz, and Thomas Alan Taylor physically whenever to what’s … well … something else is something I don’t want to Matthew entertains a new thought. Taylor fully describe, because such a shift happened then goes through several impressive several times – and at very unexpected mopersonality shifts as the layers to Matthew ments – during Friday’s performance, making are added or stripped away, and as his wife the evening a bit of an intriguing thrill that Lisa, Jessica Sheridan continues her streak repeatedly piqued my curiosity. of notable performances that began, for Director Daniel D.P. Sheridan’s pacing me, when I first saw her on stage in 2009’s matches the frenetic, gentle, and more area production of Bash. Her abilities as a painfully and beautifully emotional moments performer are on full display from the show’s offered in author Steven Dietz’s script. Even opening minutes, when Lisa auditions for Matthew and acts out a scene from memory. during the scene changes that occur as the action continues, I don’t recall the momentum After it’s over, Lisa is then asked to repeat the scene, and Jessica Sheridan manages to stalling for an instant as the first act built to improve her performance, offering a different, a high-energy climax that left me enthralled, and had me trying to figure out what was true more nuanced take on the material that a – within the show’s reality – and what was not lesser actor would struggle with. Reader employee Mike Schulz manages during intermission. While I can’t say much a British accent quite well – sounding like about the plot’s details, as doing so would Patrick Stewart in dialect but John Rhysgive too much away, Private Eyes focuses Davies in inflection – as he shades his theatre on two stage actors and a director as they director Adrian with subtle suggestions navigate their ways through their marital and of the contemptible yet perhaps pained extramarital relationships. But Dietz doesn’t present their stories quite so straightforwardly, nature behind his pompous, noncommittal, condescending exterior. Jessica Denney and it’s the experience of uncovering his turns off her natural cuteness in favor of a layers of truth and lies that makes his play so sometimes sultry, often curt and willful take interesting. on the waitress Cory. And Pat Flaherty tones Sheridan’s work as the production’s lighting designer is also highly commendable, down his typically amusing, dynamically large-scale characterizations for a quieter but particularly when one of the characters repeatedly walks from a single pool of light to no less engaging turn as Frank, the man who an unlit area but, through seamless transitions, is Matthew’s ... . Well, I can’t say, as doing so would give away one of those important plot keeps ending up in another singular pool of points. light. Bret Churchill, meanwhile, deserves While I will admit that my mind did a more-than-kind mention for his similarly wander a bit during Dietz’s less harried, inspired transitions within the play’s sound more (seemingly) traditional second act, design, as well as his selection of incidental I will also declare that the play’s climactic music that matches perfectly with the mood scene makes the entire production – which and tone of the play. There’s a scene in which is already noteworthy – worth seeing all the a character mimes riding an elevator and, as more; thanks to director Sheridan’s somewhat he steps into the imagined lift, the musical shocking choices in the staging, the final accompaniment shifts from full sound to the moments of the play are poignantly rendered tinny squawk of music heard in an enclosed and stunningly stirring. With Private Eyes, space, emanating from sub-par speakers. The the QC Theatre Workshop continues toward full sound returns when the actor exits the what I expect to be a long-running streak of elevator, which is both technically impressive and warranted a laugh from Friday’s audience. professional, polished productions. And in terms of performance, Sheridan’s Private Eyes runs at the QC Theatre assemblage of some of the Quad Cities’ Workshop (1730 Wilkes Avenue, Davenport) greatest actors does not disappoint. Thomas through February 3, and more information Alan Taylor, who was a highlight for me and reservations are available by visiting in last summer’s QC Theatre Workshop QCTheatreWorkshop.org. debut of Red, plays Matthew, the character

Movie Reviews
MAMA
A new film titled Mama opened this past weekend, and it stars Jessica Chastain. Given the current Oscar nominee’s cinematic omnipresence over the past two years, you may be inclined to say, “Well, of course it does.” But I’m leading with that information because in addition to being almost insanely prolific, Chastain (whose recent résumé also boasts The Tree of Life, The Help, Take Shelter, and, of course, Zero Dark Thirty) is about as reliable an indicator of quality as this decade’s movies have provided. And against considerable odds, not the least being its unpromising January release date, director Andrés Muschietti’s outing is a supernatural fright flick of considerable quality – gripping and nerve-racking and sensationally wellmade, and yet another showcase for Chastain’s stirring soulfulness and remarkable versatility. Mama finds her playing Annabel, the no-nonsense bassist for a goth-rock band, and the somewhat unwitting caretaker to the emotionally damaged nieces of her boyfriend Jeffrey (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). Orphaned and presumed dead for five years, the eightand six-year-old girls end up in Annabel’s and Jeffrey’s care after being accidentally discovered living a feral life in a remote woodland shack. But as we know from the film’s eerie, unsettling prelude, the children were hardly alone in the woods. Watching over them was a ghostly, murderously protective being that the girls refer to and address as “Mama,” and now – with young Victoria (Megan Charpentier) and Lilly (Isabelle Nélisse) under the watch of their new guardians and an obsessively devoted psychologist (Daniel Kash) – Mama wants the

by Mike Schulz • mike@rcreader.com by Mike Schulz • mike@rcreader.com

It Takes a Vile Witch to Raise a Child
kids back. and complexly It’s a solid, rendered screen spooky character, it also premise for an feels like this can’t unpretentious possibly be said fright film, and enough. Granted while his offering an unexpectedly isn’t without rich and varied its derivative emotional arc, the elements – performer enacts Isabelle Nélisse and Megan Charpentier in Mama chiefly an Annabel’s transition overly aggressive Fernando Velázquez score from blithely tolerant babysitter to heroically that keeps chiming in when silence would be selfless mother with astonishing assuredness preferable – Muschietti knows how to stage and fluidity, and despite much excellence both traditional and teasing freak-outs with surrounding her, she singlehandedly makes élan. You jump at Mama’s surprise appearances Mama must-see viewing even for those who and quick, airborne zooms toward the camera, don’t normally gravitate toward movies of its but you’re truly captivated by the giggly-creepy type. Muschietti’s movie is scary stuff. Chastain’s sequences in which Muschietti suggests horrors unbroken streak of magical portrayals is getting just out of sight; in one especially extraordinary, downright terrifying. compositionally incredible take, Lilly is shown playing tug-of-war in her bedroom while it’s BROKEN CITY slowly, subtly revealed that there’s no physical A somewhat rote but fitfully engaging tale of being around for her to be playing tug-of-war murder, corruption, and political double-dealing with. (The scene is capped, beautifully, with in the Big Apple, director Allen Hughes’ Broken the bedroom door shutting while the legs of a City tells of a disgraced cop turned private chuckling Lilly float along the ceiling.) investigator (Mark Wahlberg) who becomes Yet what most separates Muschietti’s embroiled all manner of noir-ish chicanery achievement from so many underwhelming involving the city’s shady mayor (Russell Crowe). genre offerings is its deep and rather shocking All told, the movie’s not bad; it’s a little low on humanity. Not only do you care about the originality and surprise, but Hughes – who fates of the girls – with the grave, touching usually directs alongside his twin brother Albert Charpentier and Nélisse superbly directed – displays his typical flair for gritty neo-realism, throughout – but you even care about the fate and there are fine, blunt performances by the of Mama herself, a malevolent specter who, leads, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jeffrey Wright, by gradual degrees, grows into a figure of Kyle Chandler, and Barry Pepper. But about 10 tragic heartache and loss. And while, by now, minutes into the film, an actress named Alona it should almost go without saying that Jessica Tal shows up in the role of Wahlberg’s gal Friday, Chastain creates another empathetic, moving, and for the next hour and a half, thanks to the sensational freshness and confidence of this young performer, I don’t think I gave Broken City itself more than a passing thought. Boasting electrifying screen charisma and crack timing that rivals that of Anna Kendrick, Tal makes the sort of impact here that leaves you grinning and asking, “Who is that?” following her every appearance, and if Jessica Chastain seems to be in every other movie now being released, maybe Tal can start lucking into the other half.

THE LAST STAND
In the signature moment from director Jeewoon Kim’s bloody action pic The Last Stand, a fiendish thug snarls at our hero, “Who the hell are you?” His answer comes in the form of an immediate bullet to the brain and the instantly recognizable, Austrian-on-Xanax cadences of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who replies, “I’m duh sheriff.” If you’ve been aching for the return of those testosterone-fueled, so-bad-they’re-almost-kinda-funny “classics” from the ’80s and The Expendables and its sequel haven’t fully satisfied that itch, this will absolutely be the movie for you. I can’t say the same, like at all, but if these things keep Ahnold out of politics and housekeepers, I guess they’re serving some good. For reviews of Zero Dark Thirty, Gangster Squad, A Haunted House, Hitchcock, and other current releases, visit RiverCitiesReader. com. Follow Mike on Twitter at Twitter.com/ MikeSchulzNow.

Listen to Mike every Friday at 9am on ROCK 104-9 FM with Dave & Darren

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Theatre
L

What’s Happenin’ What’s Happenin’
pressure, sexual experimentation, recreational drug use, the joys and heartbreaks of first loves, and even the comedic clumsiness of a miscast highschool production of Romeo & Juliet, it will likely prove a most memorable entertainment, boasting direction by the Center’s Dino Hayz and a vibrant pop-rock score by composers Damon Intrabartolo and Jon Hartmere Jr. Called “touching and tender” by the New York Times and described by Variety magazine as “winning” and “burning with youthful passion,” this latest presentation in the newly remodeled Center for Living should inspire laughs, tears, and plenty of conversation fodder for the ride home. So make plans for a forthcoming evening of theatre in Rock Island, and hopefully, soon, I’ll be seeing you all bare! Um ... that is ... I’ll be seeing you all at bare. (Damned typos making things even more awkward... .) bare: A Pop Opera runs Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m., tickets are $10 at the door, and more information on the production is available by calling (309)788-5433 or visiting Center4Living.com.

The Center for Living Arts Friday, February 1, through Saturday, February 16
ast March, at Rock Island’s Center for Living Arts, we theatre fans got the Quad Cities premiere of the Tony Awardwinning musical smash Spring Awakening. This February, at the same venue, we’re getting bare. Whoops. I mean we’re getting bare. Whoops. I mean we’re getting the off-Broadway musical bare: A Pop Opera. I don’t mean ... . Well, this sure got awkward in a hurry. Then again, awkwardness is one of many themes explored in this earnest, emotional exploration of teen life that debuted in Los Angeles in 2000, and that’s currently enjoying a hit revival in New York. Set in a co-ed Catholic boarding school and focused primarily on the struggles of two gay roommates forced to keep their romance, and even their sexuality, a secret, bare: A Pop Opera is hardly your standard musical-theatre entertainment. However, in its depictions of bigotry, parental

amed choreographer Martha Graham was quoted as saying, “Dance is the hidden language of the soul.” Famed choreographer Lula Washington – whose company performs at St. Ambrose University’s Galvin Fine Arts Center on January 26 – created the animated dances for Disney’s The Little Mermaid and the Na’vi dances for James Cameron’s

Avatar. So much for “hidden.” A Los Angeles-based repertoire ensemble lauded for its innovative, provocative choreography and startling athleticism, the Lula Washington Dance Theatre was founded in 1980, with the past three decades finding its talents touring Canada, Mexico, Spain, Germany, China, and more than 150 cities in the United States. Employing

high-energy dance as a means of exploring social and humanitarian issues, primarily aspects of AfricanAmerican history and culture, Washington’s company has also earned massive critical acclaim, with the New York Times praising its “rousing, infectiously enthusiastic performances,” and the New Jersey Recorder labeling the group’s works “smart, strong, and energetic.” A) Andreas Kapsalis B) Goran Ivanovic

1) was raised in Chicago by first-generatio 2) was a child prodigy in his hometown of Andreas Kapsalis & Goran Ivanovic 3) received raves for his guitar version of th RME Community Stage 4) received raves for his debut CD Solo Guitar Friday, February 1, 8 p.m. 5) studied under guitar masters Eliot Fisk and Joaquín Clerch 6) composed scores for the films Mulberry Street, Mexican Sunrise, and ou’ve likely heard, or maybe just heard of, the tune 7) featured on a CD of Pablo Neruda poems titled The Poet “Dueling Banjos,” right? Well, during the River Music 8) nearly ended his career by accidentally severing a tendon in his left Experience’s February 1 concert with the lauded touring musicians Andrea Kapsalis and Goran Ivanovic, dueling composition. But when the men teamed up for their selfbanjos are exactly what you’ll be treated to. Except instead of titled 2009 CD, the plaudits flew particularly fast and furious. banjos, they’re guitars. And instead of dueling, the guitars are Guitar Player magazine, for example, described the pair’s more accurately blending. Otherwise, same thing. “tasty experimental dish” as “a stew seasoned with with multiAppearing in Davenport as the Andreas Kapsalis & Goran finger attacks, percussive beats, and heavy Serbian and Greek Ivanovic Guitar Duo, these master musicians have, for years, influences,” while Jazziz magazine called the release “heady been acclaimed for their exceptional gifts at both playing and , you could’ve also known which guitarist was which just by looking at the photo caption, but thanks for participating!

e are certainly additional o mention regarding gton and her troupe, rs of whom are the latest n Quad City Arts’ Visiting eries: the company’s ments in Kosovo and at gton, D.C.’s Kennedy Center; gton’s lifetime-achievement from Los Angeles’ Dance 0 and from the Performing

Arts in Schools Association. But for a better sense of the exhilaration in store during the Lula Washington Dance Theatre’s forthcoming St. Ambrose performance, I have instead attached to this article three photos of the troupe in action. Race your eyes over them back and forth, and back and forth, and it’ll look just like dancers in them are really moving! That, or you’ll just get really dizzy. I’m kind of afraid to try it myself. For reservations to the Lula Washington Dance Theatre’s Davenport engagement, call the St. Ambrose ticket office at (563)3336251, and for more information on the group’s area residency, visit QuadCityArts.com.

stuff that’s technically dazzling yet accessible,” adding that Kapsalis and Ivanovic “and their on Greek parents instruments intermingle f Osijek, Croatia beautifully together.” he jazz-piano tune “Blue Rondo à la Turk” But intermingling is one thing. How well do you know the guitarists d Retaliation individually? As a way of prepping for the t hand RME concert, and as a way of telling the two apart, try your hand at the above “Is it Andreas or is it Goran?” quiz. Tickets to the Andreas Kapsalis & Goran Ivanovic Duo concert are $10, and more information on the night is available by calling (563)326-1333 or visiting RiverMusicExperience.org. Answers: 1 – A, 2 – B, 3 – A , 4 – B, 5 – B, 6 – A, 7 – B, 8 – A. Of cours

n January 26, Augustana College’s Centennial Hall will host an evening with members of the Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company, and you can learn a lot about the acclaimed comedy troupe by visiting its Web site at UCBTourCo.com. For instance, you’ll learn that, as the ensemble’s home page states, “mainstream comedy is for jerks,” and that its touring show with Brigade performer Horatio Sanz “will make you wet yourself with laughter,” and its Blackout Drunk production boasts a “lack of self-control” and “an appalling lack of shame” ... . Hey ... wait a minute ... . You don’t think that calling themselves “Upright Citizens” is meant jokingly, do you ... ? Like the quick-witted talents of this venerable organization, I kid. Formed in 1990 by veterans of Chicago’s famed ImprovOlympics, Upright Citizens Brigade members currently perform smart, hysterical improv and sketch comedy to soldout crowds in New York City and Los Angeles, with some of the funniest names in show business listed among the group’s alumni. Amy Poehler,

Ed Helms, Rob Corddry, and Rob Riggle are among those whose careers were jumpstarted through their association with the UCB, and numerous others have amassed credits on such TV series as Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, and MadTV. The group also had its own, self-titled series on Comedy Central from 1998 to 2000, and has earned critical raves for productions that – as with the forthcoming Augustana engagement – feature Upright comedians performing 90 minutes of long-form improvisational comedy. Entertainment Weekly called the ensemble “twisted and hilarious.” The New York Post wrote, “When SNL and The Daily Show need comics, they turn to the Upright Citizens Brigade.” And regarding a UCB touring production, The Onion advised, “Catch the next generation of comedy superstars before they all sell out to sh--y sitcoms and VH1 list shows.” Wow. That seems like a pretty catty thing for respectable journalists to publish. I’m surprised that ... . Hey ... wait a minute ... . You don’t think The Onion is meant to be taken jokingly, do you ... ? Tickets to January 26’s performance by the Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company are $10, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)794-7306 or visiting Augustana.edu/tickets.

ased on her vocal confidence and itinerary, it’s hard to believe that Nikki Hill is by her own admission a neophyte on the music scene. She began singing in the church choir in her native North Carolina when she was six or seven, but her tenure as a performing and touring rock-androll artist is considerably shorter – basically less than a year. Yet she co-produced and released her self-titled debut EP last year on her own label, she’s planning a spring release of some sort, and this spring and summer she’ll be playing in Italy, Germany, Sweden, Norway, and Spain. On Saturday, she’ll be performing at RIBCO, and while you might not have heard of Hill, she’s doing her damnedest to change that. “I’m kind of in that ride-it-’til-thewheels-fall-off mode,” the 28-year-old said in a phone interview last week. Before last year, Hill had been playing some gigs in St. Louis – where she and her guitarist husband Matt live – and occasionally sitting in with other bands; music as a career hadn’t occurred to her. So when she traveled to the 2012 Viva Las Vegas rockabilly festival and a friend signed her up to sing at a pre-fest party without her knowledge, she had no idea what was about to happen. You can see the video evidence on YouTube (RCReader.com/y/hill1 and RCReader.com/y/hill2). She might have lacked experience, but she tore into the chestnuts “Rip It Up” and “Mercy” with veteran poise and fire. The reaction to the video clips pushed her into the studio. “Maybe I’ll write up a few tunes and record something and see if it we can take it on the road at all,” she said. “And it actually worked.” She said that songwriting is “brand-

new to me, too. It was one of those things that I’d never really considered before.” And while the four songs on her EP – all originals – aren’t particularly distinctive, they’re an appealing blend of soul, rockabilly, blues, and ’50s rock and roll. And more than anything they’re a perfect showcase for that meaty voice, with its growling voracity in one song, smooth, sexy slink in the next, and heartfelt emotion in a slow ballad after that. “I’ve got a lot of work to do with my voice, but I’m confident in what I’ve got,” Hill said. “It’s something that you kinda have to do it or don’t do it. ... If you’re nervous about that, it’s going to block you.” The EP’s tracks definitely have a vintage vibe, and that’s intentional but also limiting: “I don’t want it to be so vintage or retro that it can’t cross over to different audiences,” she said. “We’re not aiming to be a rockabilly band ... but just [have] an appreciation for the energy and the rawness of it, and the feel. It sounds good, it sounds real, it’s doesn’t sound overproduced ... .” The recordings she’s cut since the EP, she said, are “a little more edgy, definitely more rock-and-roll, more ‘grease,’ as we always put it – a lot more grease, which is always good.” And while she might not have much seasoning yet, she’s been active in every aspect of her young music career. For all the things she doesn’t know, she said, “I’m doing a pretty good job of faking it.” Nikki Hill will perform on Saturday, January 26, at RIBCO (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island; RIBCO.com). The show starts at 9 p.m. and also features 3 on the Tree. Cover is $6.

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n 1989, Donna Marihart and Ann Opgenorth completed a brazed-copper sculpture for the 150th anniversary of St. Anthony Catholic Church (417 Main Street in Davenport), the oldest standing church building in Iowa. Titled St. Anthony Church Pioneers, the sculpture depicts a group of men and women who contributed to the founding of the church and the City of Davenport. The composition as a whole creates a sense of community. The figures are gathered behind a portrayal of a seated Antoine LeClaire (1797-1861), who is holding an open plan or map. LeClaire donated the land on which the church was built. The other figures are: • Black Hawk, Sauk leader (17671838), who was defeated in war in 1832. The City of Davenport was founded four years after the war’s treaty ceded the Sauk land west of the Mississippi River. • Colonel George Davenport (1783-1845), who planned the City of Davenport along with LeClaire. • Father Samuel Mazzuchelli (18061864), a missionary Dominican priest who founded and designed the church. In the course of his life, he would found 30 parishes in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin and design and build more than 20 church buildings. • Sister Mary Agatha Hurley (1826-

1902) of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who served as the first principal at St. Anthony’s School – beginning in 1855. She is shown standing with a young student. At these figures’ feet is a dog modeled after Bingo, who belonged to Father James Conroy – the pastor at St. Anthony’s when the sculpture was constructed. The good-natured inclusion of Bingo subtly links 150 years of history; the dog stands in the sculpture not with his owner but with the church’s founder. Working together, Marihart and Opgenorth constructed the sculpture at their studio in Bellevue, Iowa. The technique they used emphasizes the sheets of copper and their welded

edges. The resulting abstracted forms and textured surface give the work its more universal – even aspirational – quality. Its rough-hewn surface creates a sense that things have not yet taken final form. One focuses on the collective rhythms and gestures of the work rather than the individual features or even individual forms. The figures –approximately 4 feet in height – were made separately in the studio’s welding shop, but the sculpture was finalized in the driveway, as the completed piece was too large to fit through the doorway. The sculpture’s base is roughly 5 feet square. Built into the base is an enclosure with the church’s original bell. It called parishioners to mass and children to

school. It was also used for the court of justice, fire alarms, public forums, and civic and social gatherings. The bell is a symbol of the church, but also of the whole community – not unlike the disparate yet tightly gathered group of figures above. Bruce Walters is a professor of art at Western Illinois University. This is part of an occasional series on the history of public art in the Quad Cities. If there’s a piece of public art that you’d like to learn more about, e-mail the location and a brief description to BD-Walters@ wiu.edu.

GUEST COMMENTARY

Continued From Page 3

The Magician’s Con: Renewing FISA and the NDAA Under Cover of the Fiscal Cliff Debates
promising unprecedented levels of transparency in his administration, but his track record has proved him no different from his predecessors – content to distract the populace with a political circus while undermining the rule of law behind closed doors. Just as the enactment of the NDAA ensures that no one is safe from indefinite detention, Congress’ renewal and Obama’s signing of the FISA Amendments Act, which gives the executive branch broad power to spy on American citizens who contact people overseas, leaves us powerless in the face of government surveillance. Making matters worse, there are few out there – government official, congressman, or judge – who are willing to step up and put a stop to these violations of our rights. Even that oncevaunted Fourth Estate, the media – which was supposed to act as a check on the government’s power grabs – has become complicit in torpedoing our freedoms. Worst of all, however, and perhaps the most frightening state of affairs is that resistance to these government programs, decrees, and laws is minimal, undermined by a complacent citizenry and an uncritical acceptance of the way the government operates. In fact, the farce of American democracy, in which our elected officials perfectly mimic the appearance of representative government while actively opposing our best interests, has become par for the course. Thankfully, there are still some willing to

by John W. Whitehead johnw@rutherford.org

stand against the tide. One notable group, composed of writers, academics, journalists, and activists (including former New York Times war correspondent Chris Hedges, Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, and writer Noam Chomsky), is waging a war against Obama and his minions in court, challenging any attempt by the government to use the indefinite-detention provision of the NDAA to limit constitutionally

Maximum Obfuscation
unpopular decision.” In a closed session during last week’s county-board meeting, Chief Judge Jeffrey W. O’Connor gave the board a choice: Put the referendum on the ballot or be sued. As the Facilities Committee report notes: “[T]he Chief Judge has the authority to order the closure of the present court facilities and order the construction of a new or remodeled court facility.” “They could really be snotty about this whole thing and just say, ‘Look, we’re done talking,’” Banaszek said. “In all fairness, I’ve been here 18 years, and I’ve heard about it from day one. ... They could actually force us, like they did with the jail.” When asked why the Public Building Commission tack was being taken, Banaszek called it the “easiest way. ... It’s a lot cleaner. There’s some politics involved in this, too. It takes the heat and the responsibility of the decision-making off the county board as far as organizing and funding the facility.” So in terms of potentially raising taxes, county-board members can reasonably say that their hands were forced by the judiciary. Passage of the referendum would further give them ostensible taxpayer sanction. And if construction of a new courthouse will happen anyway – either because of the April referendum or litigation – it makes sense to at least consider replacing the county office building (at 1504 Third Avenue) at the same time. “Could we get by here?” Banaszek said. “Yeah, we could get by. But we’re looking at a building that’s over a hundred years old, and my take on it is: I’m not going to ask for 25 million [dollars] over here now [at the courthouse] and then have to come back in another 10, 15 years and say, ‘Guess who’s back.’” The county office building, the Facilities Committee report notes, “is over 100 years old, lacks security, and ... is nearing the end of its useful life but is in better condition than the courthouse and lacks the same volume of foot traffic of the courthouse. It houses the majority of county government.” While the Facilities Committee dealt primarily with the courthouse, it noted that the county office building “could also be called a courthouse annex because it houses many of the traditional general government offices historically found in a courthouse throughout this state.” The Facilities Committee put the cost of new court facilities at between $13 million and $20 million, claiming that renovation is infeasible. It put the cost of new court facilities and a new county office building at between $45 million and $50 million. A June report to the county board by Estes Construction offered four options for the combination of court facilities and a county office building: the status quo (“Due to the significant life-safety, building-code, and non-compliance with the Minimum Standards for Courtrooms in Illinois, this is not recommended”) for $6 million to $7 million; renovation for $40 million to $41 million; new downtown Rock Island construction for $47 million to $49 million; and conversion of a building at the old Quad City Industrial Center for $34 million to $34.5 million. The Facilities Committee report dictates that “any new court-facilities construction be physically tied to the current RICO Justice Center,” but it also allows for the Quad City Industrial Center site – even though it’s several miles away, near the city’s border with Moline: “If it is more financially feasible (a savings of $10 million or more) to build in another location, then that location should be strongly looked at.” “I am not certain that the voters will understand what expanding the buildingcommission authority will mean to them.” Banaszek has pledged a publiceducation campaign about the Public Building Commission and the condition of county facilities, but the fact remains that some voters in the April election will have no more information about the referendum than what is contained in the words themselves. Second, on a general procedural level, it does not give taxpayers the opportunity to vote directly to approve or reject the project, as would normally happen if the county board wanted to issue bonds itself for a construction project. Essentially, the Public Building Commission approach reverses the normal order of things for major government projects. Instead of determining project scope and cost before going to taxpayers for approval of a bond sale to pay for it, the April ballot measure would secure the financing tool prior to a decision on what will be built, where it will be built, and how much it will cost. “I have concerns about issues such as the amount of money to be spent not being addressed,” Vyncke wrote. “Nothing on type, size, location, or number of facilities to be built [is] addressed. How much will taxes be raised to pay for the new building(s)? As a voter I would certainly like answers to those questions before I would consider expanding the authority of a board ... I don’t even know.” Third, the referendum’s open-ended phrasing (“ all the powers and authority”) means that it’s functionally a blank check for the county board. While the courthouse and the county office building are being discussed now, the referendum if passed would give the Public Building Commission bonding authority beyond those; it would have the power to borrow money for virtually any county project allowed by law with only a majority vote of the county board and a threequarters-majority vote of the municipality where the project will go. Simply put, the referendum is absolutely broader than it needs to be, and almost certainly broader than the spirit of the law that allows it. The Public Building Commission Act prescribes how a county board should phrase a referendum on expansion of a commission’s authority: “The election authority must submit the question in substantially the following form: ‘Shall the county board be authorized to expand the purpose of the (insert name of public building commission) to include (insert

A Backward Approach

So the referendum makes a certain amount of sense in terms of property taxes (preventing a double whammy of bond payments) and politics (making it easier for the county board to act), and the judiciary has clearly lost patience with the legislative branch of Rock Island County government. But from transparency and goodgovernment perspectives, there are three fundamental problems with the referendum. First, the referendum gives literally no indication of the construction and tax implications of its passage; it merely describes what technically will happen. County Board Member Brian Vyncke, the only person on the 25-member county board to vote against putting the referendum on the ballot, wrote in an e-mail: “If we don’t want this process to fail, we need to be as forthcoming and open as we can possibly be so the voters can make an informed decision on this important, yet costly, proposition. The public is tired of being left in the dark by those they elect to represent their interests. ...

the purpose or purposes)?’” In other words, the law suggests that the proper approach here would be to include the projects being funded: the courthouse and potentially the county office building. Even if the Public Building Commission approach makes sense in the context of previous countyboard inaction, the April referendum keeps voters unnecessarily in the dark. When asked why his board approved the broad referendum wording, Banaszek pointed to the judges who suggested the ballot measure. In an e-mail, he wrote: “The way I understand it ... , they did not want to restrict the PBC [Public Building Commission] to only certain buildings as with the current PBC (Criminal Justice Facility).” The effect of all of these issues is that taxpayers do not know (and cannot know) for how much money they’ll be on the hook – and some might not even realize that a “yes” vote will result in higher taxes or at the least bonded indebtedness for a longer period of time. Based on the rule of thumb expressed in the November report of the 14th Circuit Court Facilities Committee of $1 in annual property taxes (on a $100,000 home) for each $1 million of debt incurred, a typical taxpayer might be paying between $13 and $50 a year for one or two new facilities. (Remember that whatever is said about property-tax neutrality, a $13-million project still costs $13 million plus interest, and a $50-million project still costs $50 million plus interest. Property-tax rates might or might not go up, but property owners are still paying the full cost.) And because of the broad powers that would be granted by the referendum, the long-term cost to taxpayers could potentially be significantly more than that, and they’d have no opportunity at the polls to directly approve additional projects. Using the Public Building Commission to circumvent the normal process of asking voters to approve bonds is certainly a clever approach, and quite possibly the only practical way to address the longstanding problem of deteriorating and inadequate county facilities that the county board has for decades ignored. But in its lack of directness, its backwardness, and its overly broad scope, the referendum is also bad government, and it certainly won’t engender any goodwill with Rock Island County voters and taxpayers.

Friday, January 25, through Friday, February 22 – Augustana Sights & Sounds. Sixth-annual exhibit of photography by students from Augustana College and Quad Cities high schools, also featuring video narratives by the Augustana Video Bureau.

The Magician’s Con: Renewing FISA and the NDAA Under Cover of the Fiscal Cliff Debates
protected activity. For example, it is conceivable that those protesting American foreign policy, or those who interview suspected terrorists for journalistic purposes, may be considered in violation of the NDAA. As Hedges, a Pulitzer Prize-winner, explained: “I, as a foreign correspondent, had had direct contact with 17 organizations that are on [the U.S. government’s list of terrorist organizations], from al-Qaeda to Hamas to Hezbollah to the PKK, and there’s no provision within that particular section [of the NDAA] to exempt journalists.” There are also those within the judiciary who recognize the need for caution. On September 12, 2012, U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest of the Southern District Court of New York ruled in favor of Hedges, placing a permanent injunction on the indefinite-detention provision. Unfortunately, that ruling has since been overturned by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals pending its assessment of the provision’s constitutionality. With any protections against indefinite detention in legal limbo, Hedges warned: “The appellate court is all that separates us and a state that is no different than any other military dictatorship.” Indeed, the fact that Americans are utterly dependent on a small group of judges, themselves part of the ruling elite in America, to safeguard their fundamental freedoms shows just how far we’ve fallen as a society and culture. When the rights and liberties that we once took for granted are little more than exceptions to the rule, open to

by John W. Whitehead johnw@rutherford.org

interpretation by government officials who can throw them out based upon expediency, we have entered a new paradigm in America, and it doesn’t bode well for the future of a free society. Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute (Rutherford.org). His newest book, The Freedom Wars, is available at Amazon.com, and he can be reached at johnw@rutherford.org.

My boyfriend and I were invited to dinner at our friends’ house. An hour after the appointed time, another friend of theirs, a woman who’s been single for at least a decade, still hadn’t left her house. She called with a crisis about what she was bringing, wearing, etc. (She always seems to have some crisis.) The hostess calmed her down, telling her to just come. Upon hanging up, she said that she thinks marriage both requires sanity and helps keep people sane and that people who are unmarried and living alone for an extended time seem to get increasingly neurotic. That seems a bit unfair, but I can see her point. – Unhitched It can be harder to indulge one’s eccentricities in a marriage. Before you even turn the front door knob to head off to work in the morning, there’s your spouse blurting out, “You know, that tie really clashes with the Kleenex boxes on your feet.” In other words, no, a wedding isn’t a rose-petal-scattered transporter beam out of neurosis or more serious psych problems, and we shouldn’t be quick to assume people who get married are more well-adjusted than people who don’t. Some states require a blood test before you marry; none tests to make sure you aren’t cuckoo for more than Cocoa Puffs. Psychologist Dr. Bella DePaulo, in Singled Out, shows that many studies claiming married people are much better off than singles have serious flaws in methodology, and the modest claims of solid studies are frequently distorted, exaggerated, and turned into media catnip by the agenda-driven. As a result, “single” is so automatically viewed as the companion to “miserable” (and the prelude to getting your face eaten off by your cat) that even respected researcher Dr. E. Mavis Hetherington can’t see her faulty reasoning in concluding, “Happily married couples are healthier, happier, wealthier, and sexier than are singles.” Note that she’s comparing happily married people with all single people. Yes, shockingly, happily married people are happier than clinically depressed single people and all the married people who just couldn’t stand the nonstop joy and are getting divorced. Your friend makes a mistake in throwing all the single eggs in one basket. Some people are single and living alone because they have unresolved issues, and some are because a whole lot of other people do. Others simply

Nobody to Co-depend on

Advice Goddess

prefer living alone. (Why have a man-cave when you can have a man-home?) Studies do show definite benefits to being (happily) married, such as having a sounding board, a ready source of sex and hugs, and someone to help you pick up the pieces when you drop them. If you’re single, these benefits aren’t unavailable to you; they just take more thought and effort to obtain. For example, you can share a house or duplex with a friend, create a community of friends, and have at least one close friend who knows just about everything about you and is allowed and even encouraged to tell you when you’re being an idiot. Whatever you do, don’t let that “dying alone!” business get to you. Somebody can tough it out for 30 years with a person and, wouldn’t you know it, have that final heart attack just moments after their spouse runs out to the store with a coupon for 40 cents off cottage cheese.

BY AMY ALKON

Does approaching a woman on the street and asking her out ever work? – On the Prowl Sites with dating tips for men encourage them to approach women on the street: “Just walk up and say hello! All you have to do is be confident!” That second part is very good advice, because then you’ll look less like you’re dying inside when the woman treats you like you just walked up and said, “Hi, my name is Rapist!” Instead, use what social scientists call the “foot-in-the-door technique.” Various studies show that when you get a person to agree to a trivial first request (like signing a petition), they’re more likely to say yes to a more substantial request that follows (like donating money to the cause). In France, psychologist Nicolas Gueguen sent three men, ages 19 to 21, out on the street to approach 360 women, about the same age, and ask them for a drink. When the men asked straight-out for a date, only 3.3 percent of the women said yes. When they first asked women for a light (for a cigarette) or directions and then the drink, 15 percent and 15.8 percent, respectively, agreed to go for a drink. Researchers are unsure why this works, but it seems that preoccupying a woman with helping you at least gives you a shot at distracting her from the directions you really want: “Could you tell me the best route into your pants?”

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The German government sponsored a scientific study of dowsing, which is a form of magical divination used to locate underground sources of water. After 10 years, the chief researcher testified, “It absolutely works, beyond all doubt. But we have no idea why or how.” An assertion like that might also apply to the mojo you’ll have at your disposal, Aries, as you forge new alliances and bolster your web of connections in the coming weeks. I don’t know how or why you’ll be such an effective networker, but you will be. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The United States Congress spends an inordinate amount of time on trivial matters. For example, 16 percent of all the laws it passed in the past two years were devoted to renaming post offices. That’s down from the average of the previous eight years, during which time almost 20 percent of its laws had the sole purpose of renaming post offices. In my astrological opinion, you Tauruses can’t afford to indulge in anything close to that level of nonsense during the next four weeks. I urge you to keep time-wasting activities down to less than 5 percent of your total. Focus on getting a lot of important stuff done. Be extra thoughtful and responsible as you craft the impact you’re having on the world. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): What if your unconscious mind has dreamed up sparkling answers to your raging questions but your conscious mind doesn’t know about them yet? Is it possible you are not taking advantage of the sly wisdom that your deeper intelligence has been cooking up? I say it’s time to poke around down there. It’s time to take aggressive measures as you try to smoke out the revelations that your secret self has prepared for you. How? Remember your dreams, of course. Notice hunches that arise out of nowhere. And send a friendly greeting to your unconscious mind, something like, “I adore you and I’m receptive to you and I’d love to hear what you have to tell me.” CANCER (June 21-July 22): In his book Our Band Could Be Your Life, Michael Azerrad says that the Cancerian singer/songwriter Steve Albini is a “connoisseur of intensity.” That means he’s picky about what he regards as intense. Even the two kinds of music that are often thought of as the embodiment of ferocious emotion don’t make the grade for Albini. Heavy metal is comical, he says, not intense. Hardcore punk is childish, not intense. What’s your definition of intensity, Cancerian? I see the coming weeks as prime time for you to commune with the very best expressions of that state of being. Be a connoisseur of intensity. LEO (July 23-August 22): There’s a butterfly sanctuary at the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It’s called the Enchanted Garden. As you enter, you see a sign that reads, “Please do not touch the butterflies. Let the butterflies touch you.” In other words, you shouldn’t initiate contact with the delicate creatures. You shouldn’t pursue them or try to capture them. Instead, make yourself available for them to land on you. Allow them to decide how and when your connection will begin to unfold. In the coming week, Leo, I suggest you adopt a similar approach to any beauty you’d like to know better. VIRGO (August 23-September 22): Do you ever fantasize about a more perfect version of yourself? Is there, in your imagination, an idealized image of who you might become in the future? That can be a good thing if it motivates you to improve and grow. But it might also lead you to devalue the flawed but beautiful creation you are right now. It may harm your capacity for self-acceptance. Your assignment in the coming week is to temporarily forget about whom you might evolve into at some later date, and instead just love your crazy, mysterious life exactly as it is. LIBRA (September 23-October 22): Novelist Jeffrey Eugenides says he doesn’t have generic emotions that can be described with one word. “Sadness,” “joy,” and “regret” don’t happen to him. Instead, he prefers “complicated hybrid emotions, Germanic train-car constructions,” like “the disappointment of sleeping with one’s fantasy” or “the excitement of getting a hotel room with a mini-bar.” He delights in sensing “intimations of mortality brought on by aging family members” and “sadness inspired by failing restaurants.” In the coming days, Libra, I think you should specialize in one-of-a-kind feelings like these. Milk the nuances! Exult in the peculiarities! Celebrate the fact that each new wave of passion has never before arisen in quite the same form. SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): After analyzing your astrological omens for the coming weeks, I decided that the best advice I could give you would be this passage by the English writer G. K. Chesterton: “Of all modern notions, the worst is this: that domesticity is dull. Inside the home, they say, is dead decorum and routine; outside is adventure and variety. But the truth is that the home is the only place of liberty, the only spot on earth where a person can alter arrangements suddenly, make an experiment or indulge in a whim. The home is not the one tame place in a world of adventure; it is the one wild place in a world of set rules and set tasks.” SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21): My general philosophy is that everyone on the planet, including me, is a jerk now and

by Rob Brezsny
then. In fact, I’m suspicious of those who are apparently so unfailingly well-behaved that they never act like jerks. On the other hand, some people are jerks far too much of the time, and should be avoided. Here’s my rule of thumb: How sizable is each person’s Jerk Quotient? If it’s below 6 percent, I’ll probably give them a chance to be a presence in my life – especially if they’re smart and interesting. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, Sagittarius, this gauge may be useful for you to keep in mind during the coming weeks. CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19): The French painter Cezanne painted images of a lot of fruit in the course of his career. He liked to take his sweet time while engaged in his work. The apples and pears and peaches that served as his models often rotted before he was done capturing their likenesses. That’s the kind of approach I recommend for you in the coming days, Capricorn. Be very deliberate and gradual and leisurely in whatever labor of love you devote yourself to. No rushing allowed! With conscientious tenderness, exult in attending to every last detail of the process. AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18): “Nobody can be exactly like me. Even I have trouble doing it.” So said the eccentric, outspoken, and hard-partying actress Talullah Bankhead (1902-1968). Can you guess her astrological sign? Aquarius, of course. Her greatest adventure came from trying to keep up with all the unpredictable urges that welled up inside her. She found it challenging and fun to be as unique as she could possibly be. I nominate her to be your role model in the next four weeks. Your assignment is to work extra hard at being yourself. PISCES (February 19-March 20): The Dardanelles Strait is a channel that connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, separating Europe from Asia. In some places it’s less than a mile wide. But the currents are fierce, so if you try to swim across at those narrow points, you’re pushed around and end up having to travel five or six miles. In light of the current astrological omens, I’m predicting that you will have a comparable challenge in the coming days, Pisces. The task may seem easier or faster than it actually is. Plan accordingly. Homework: What’s the best, most healing trouble you could whip up right now? Testify at FreeWillAstrology.com.

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FEST
Tuesday, February 12, 2013 • 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
The taste of New Orleans is coming to the Quad Cities on Fat Tuesday! Local chefs will be set up in the lobby of the Figge Art Museum where guests can sample each chef’s Cajun creation.

Tickets are $25 each or 2 for $45
To purchase tickets, visit www.figgeartmuseum.org or call 563-326-7804.
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Davenport, Iowa • 563.326.7804 www.figgeartmuseum.org

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